Flowers, Grasses, and Butterflies

Compared to bird-and-flower paintings of the same period, this painting shows a much heavier use of color, a characteristic typical of the attributed artist, Lu Zhi. It is more concerned with descriptive realism and appearance than a spontaneous ‘composing of the idea' style practiced by amateur scholar-gentlemen. Its rich colouring and meticulous detail provide an intimate, decorative appearance. The charm of the painting also comes from the cultural connotation implied by the motifs themselves. The Chinese name for butterfly, die 蝶, for instance, is a pun on the term die 耋, denoting a person who has reached an old age. Therefore, it may have been created to commemorate an important birthday of an elderly gentleman.